ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Wednesday arrived in Dubai to attend the United Nations climate conference scheduled to be held between Nov. 30 and Dec. 12, with the participation of around 70,000 people, including global leaders, academics and youth representatives.
According to officials in Islamabad, Pakistan will set up its own pavilion and focus on critical issues to help countries across the world build climate resilience together.
Mitigating the impact of climate change has become a major priority for the government after the country was hit unprecedented monsoon rains and floods that caused massive infrastructure and agricultural losses last year.
Kakar will attend the COP28 conference where he will spearhead Pakistan’s delegation and present its case.
Minister for Justice of the United Arab Emirates H.E. Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE and the Pakistani diplomatic staff welcomed the Prime Minister at Dubai’s Al-Maktoum Airport,” said a brief statement issued after the Pakistani PM’s arrival.
“The Prime Minister will attend the World Climate Action Summit on December 1 and 2,” it added.
Kakar, who is on a week-long visit to the Middle East to sign multibillion-dollar deals, is accompanied by Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, Finance Minister Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Climate Change Minister Ahmed Irfan Aslam and Energy Minister Muhammad Ali.
The Pakistani delegation plans to call for an early operationalization of the loss and damage fund to help countries vulnerable to climate change deal with natural disasters caused by erratic weather conditions.
It also intends to argue for the inclusion of developing countries in the fund, diverging from developed nations’ focus only on the least developed states.
Prior to arriving in Dubai, the prime minister held some vital meetings with the top Kuwaiti leaders and witnessed the signing of ten major investment deals in the Gulf country.
Pakistan PM arrives in Dubai to attend major UN climate conference
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Pakistan PM arrives in Dubai to attend major UN climate conference
- Pakistan will set up its own pavilion at the event and focus on building climate resilience with other states
- Prime Minister Kakar will attend the World Climate Action Summit beginning on Dec. 1 at COP28 conference
Pakistan announces national Islamic scholarship competition focused on youth
- Contest invites books, essays, poetry in multiple languages, with awards for men and women
- Best entries to be published digitally and in print, submissions due by March 31
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs on Wednesday announced a nationwide competition for books, poetry and academic papers focused on Islamic scholarship, as part of efforts to promote religious discourse addressing modern social challenges, particularly among younger generations.
The annual competition will cover works on Seerat — the biography and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) — as well as Na’at, a traditional form of devotional poetry praising the Prophet, alongside broader Islamic research and literary contributions published in Pakistan and abroad.
“Ministry of Religious Affairs ... remains committed to addressing contemporary challenges through the guidance of the Seerat-e-Tayyaba (the life of the Prophet Muhammad), describing the national competition as an important step toward promoting Islamic teachings in society,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The initiative serves as an effective platform to encourage writers and researchers working on Seerat and Islamic subjects.”
For 2026, the ministry has set the central theme for Seerat research papers as “Protection, development and character-building of the younger generation in the light of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
Officials said the focus aims to encourage scholarly engagement with issues such as ethics, social responsibility and education in a rapidly changing society.
The competition will award separate cash prizes and certificates to male and female writers at national and provincial levels, while selected research papers will be published in both digital and printed formats, the statement said.
According to the ministry, works published in national, regional and foreign languages will be eligible, with eight dedicated categories covering Seerat authors and Na’at poets. Separate categories have also been introduced for women writers, journals and magazines, expanding participation beyond individual book authors.
The ministry said the competition is intended to strengthen Islamic literary traditions while encouraging new voices to engage with religious subjects in a contemporary context.
The deadline for submission of books and research papers is March 31, 2026, it added.
